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A keen campaigner and writer, Raisa uses lots of different assistive technology to help her do day to day tasks. Here, she writes about some of these pieces of technology and how they help her live the life she chooses.

I’m very selective when choosing assistive technology. Of course, everything has its purpose, but if it is no use to me, there’s no point in using it.

For me, because I have the option, I don’t use assistive technology for absolutely everything. I’ve only considered using assistive technology seriously when I started university in 2013.

Because I was doing a Creative and Professional Writing degree, it was clear that there was going to be a lot of writing involved. There was no guarantee that I would be able to type everything up in time, by only using two fingers on the keyboard without a fast typist beside me. I was lucky in the sense that I got quite a lot of help through Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) at uni.

I’ve always had the habit of writing nearly everything by hand so I can literally see what I am typing, rather than transferring my thoughts straight onto a computer. I have never been able to do it. The only exception is when I compose emails. But even then, if my email is really long and I’m really exhausted, I would probably end up using some sort of assistive technology.

Raisa talking to fellow campaigners

Technology has so many uses

I am (literally) using Dragon Naturally Speaking 13 to dictate this post in my bedroom. This version is pretty good. I was first introduced to this software in 2009, when version 9 came out. It was horrendous. No matter how much I tried to train the software to my voice there were too many typos per page. I literally wanted to rip my hair out.

I got Dragon 12 at the beginning of my university course in 2013. Thank God I did. There was just too much to do in so little time! Don’t get me wrong, it still makes mistakes, but they’re so rare that I can live with it now.

Something else I use quite regularly was my Olympus Sonority voice recorder. I used this device to record every single one of my lectures or big public events over the last five years. It’s great that they automatically convert into audio files that work on pretty much any device – so I could listen to them anywhere if I wanted to, either on my phone or laptop. It saves as a compatible file for your memory stick also – bonus!

Assistive technology can help you live the life you choose

A family friend showed me Apple’s voice recognition software and how it worked before I got my first iPhone. I got really excited by this. I wouldn’t use Siri in public, but voice recognition software on my phone has helped me do my most important job these days – dictating and replying to emails! I have a habit of sending really long emails! I don’t have to use my laptop, I just have to hold my phone in my hand and speak.

Raisa laughing with another campaigner

One of my really long emails to date, which I wrote by only my right thumb and predicted text (without using voice recognition at all), took me two hours to type. However, if I wrote that same email again using voice recognition software on my phone, it would have only taken me about half an hour. It is also a quick way to make notes in your notes section for reminders.

I personally wouldn’t go as far as using assistive technology to help me with absolutely everything. I don’t want technology to directly take over my life. However, I hope that this post has been helpful in showing how assistive technology can help you to live the life you choose.

We know there is still work to do until all disabled people enjoy equality and fairness, with digital and assistive technology playing a huge part in this. We all need to work together to change society for the better.

On top of this, only 42 per cent of disabled people believe the UK is a good place for disabled people

These statistics make it obvious that the fight for disability equality is far from over.

Throughout the last century we’ve seen action that has led to dramatic changes in our society, but our research demonstrates that there is still a way to go until all disabled people are able to live the lives they choose free from discrimination and low expectations.

At Scope we want to change this.

Whilst we might have protection in law, at Scope we know there is still a way to go until until all disabled people can enjoy equality.”

Be a Disability Gamechanger

“We have launched our new campaign calling on all those who want to work with us to show their support for disability equality. It doesn’t matter if you’re a bus driver, a politician, a teacher or an employer. You can all make a difference.”

We can’t do it alone. We know that we are stronger as a movement, as a community and as a force for change, when we work together.

Today Scope has published Let’s talk, research on having conversations about disability at work. The research found that 48 per cent of disabled people have worried about talking about their impairment or condition with an employer.

Here, Gladys, who took part in the research and whose name has been changed to protect her identity, talks about her experiences of employment. She is based in London and works in a school.

I was previously an Aid Worker with various charities for around 15 years. The work was sometimes arduous and required stamina as well as rigorous analysis. We worked very long hours in often difficult conditions. I was also involved in training other people from around the world. When I noticed that my memory was going and I was struggling with analytical thinking, I tried to continue as best I could including taking on ‘distance’ work based at home. Eventually even that became difficult and I didn’t know what to do. I was also in a lot of pain. But because the symptoms of my condition develop so slowly, it took nearly seven years to get diagnosed.

A few years after treatment had started I needed to get back to work as my benefits had been stopped after the first year, but I knew I couldn’t work full time as I had limited energy and so many medical appointments. I had been supported by the Job Centre, but they thought I was over-qualified for the stuff I was applying for. It was incredibly painful, because basically I was negating my career, and I had to ‘dumb down’ my CV. The fact that there was a break of a few years in my work experience didn’t help either. Due to my reduced energy levels, I tried to find work within a couple of miles of home so that the journey to work didn’t tire me out.

It was hard to get beyond the first interview

In one interview, with a call centre, I explained that I wouldn’t be off sick all the time; and that for example if I wasn’t in on a Tuesday, I would come in on another day to make up the hours. I thought this demonstrated my willingness to work. But they said, ‘Oh no, I would need you at this particular slot, because that is when the chair is available, we can’t be flexible’. A music school director rang me and said they had really liked me, and thought I was good, but they felt nervous about my condition and hospital appointments. I just wasn’t getting anywhere.

I wasn’t getting in through the normal channels and then I was advised by someone in the Job Centre that it wasn’t necessary to disclose, which proved to be valuable advice. That’s how I got this job at a local Primary School. Whether the Headmistress assumed I’d taken a break for family reasons, I don’t know. My qualifications were at the bottom of my CV and she reminded me that the job I was applying for was basically cleaning tables at lunchtime. But she didn’t probe further. She said that her main priority was that I would be reliable and turn up to work. I was relieved that I didn’t have to justify myself and I promised her that I would be reliable.

I am still at that school, working just four hours a day, four days a week.

I have never disclosed my disability

A couple of years ago I tried to increase the number of hours I worked and my grade but it was too exhausting and I had to stop after a year. During a chat with a teacher an early experience of teaching English as a Foreign Language slipped out and she identified a vacancy as a part time Learning Support Assistant. Although I preferred this work, I struggled to manage the 25 hours a week and I reverted to my former job, they found someone who could work full-time.

My former line manager was very friendly, and I tried to tell them I simply cannot work full-time, if I’m going to function in this environment.

I have never disclosed, but they know there’s a reason. I tried to say something once but decided against it because I was not sure how that might affect the dynamic in the office. I read that if you don’t need adjustments to be made to the workplace, then you don’t need to tell your employer. I don’t know if that is correct but if I don’t need to tell them, then I won’t. I am not yet psychologically strong enough to be surrounded by people who ‘mother me’.

Because I haven’t disclosed my impairment, I’m not sure what my rights at work are. I haven’t disclosed, because I wouldn’t have got this job if I had. It’s as stark as that.

48 percent of disabled people have worried about sharing information about their impairment or condition with an employer

People assume you are okay when maybe you are not

There’s still lots of stigma over mental health, I overhear negative comments from other colleagues. ‘So and so seems to be depressed – they just need to pull themselves together’. ‘So and so shouldn’t be doing this job if she feels that thing.’ I’ve heard that a lot. A couple of people know that I’m on anti-depressants but I usually keep quiet about it.

There was one colleague who started crying a lot. I went to comfort her and suggested that she speak to her doctor. She said that her doctor wanted to put her on anti-depressants and she was very worried about that. I told her that I’m on them. It seemed to help her to know that there was somebody else in her shoes.

It is important that disabled people are able to make informed decisions about if, when and how they talk about disability at work.

Based on the experiences of the people we spoke to, we’ve outlined ideas in our report for disabled people to consider when sharing information about their impairment or condition.

Like this:

Fiona is a 27-year-old who has a very rare bone condition which affects her left leg and hands. It causes cartilage swelling around her bones which restricts her movement.

She went through a difficult journey to find employment, facing challenging attitudes and uncomfortable interviews. After she decided to take an unexpected career turn, she now works as the Disability Specialist at DisabledHolidays.com.

Working in the travel industry has been an unexpected (although fantastic!) career path for me. I completed my Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in Primary Education in 2013 and then graduated with a Masters in Inclusive and Special Needs Education at the University of Cambridge in 2014.

Unsurprisingly, I expected a career as a Primary School Teacher, however, my search for a teaching job was not easy as I had many unexpected obstacles to overcome. It was tricky to find a part-time job which I needed because of my disability, but the most difficult obstacle was working out how to boost my confidence following job rejections.

Although I’m aware that non-disabled people can have their confidence lowered after job rejections, I believe that rejection can be even more difficult for disabled people. When telling people I had experienced another job rejection they sometimes responded with the question “Did you ask for feedback?”, I answered, “yes – I was told I did not appear very confident”.

My two main frustrations were firstly realising that a potential employer would never admit if they had discriminated and secondly, even if I did not appear the most confident candidate, I was actually very confident in front of a class. It is not easy standing up in front of a class of children, who have never seen someone with my disability, and attempt to divert their attention back to the learning objectives. In an ideal teaching interview, I would provide Disability Awareness Training.

Jumping in at the deep end!

Whilst persevering in my search for a part-time teaching job I was supply teaching. I felt like I was jumping in at the deep end here. I had just qualified as a teacher, moved to a new city and was travelling through rush hour every day to teach an unknown class, at an unknown school for the day.

After a challenging two years of supply teaching, with children being curious about my disability, I started running Disability Awareness Workshops in schools.

It turned out that the job rejections were a blessing in disguise. I’m now teaching children what I believe should be integral to our curriculum – helping pupils to put themselves in other people’s shoes and understand what it means to respect people with a disability.

What I learnt through this challenging experience of day-to-day supply teaching was that although job rejections highlighted my disability in a negative way, I now see my disability only as a positive when educating children. Every time I teach a lesson, I believe my positive attitude despite my circumstances, provides an education in itself. Not only do pupils learn how to respect people with disabilities, they also learn how to empathise and begin to live with a more broad perspective on life.

Overcoming the ‘elephant in the room’ during an interview

You might be wondering how I managed to regain confidence after job rejections.

I felt reassured after reading various blogs and websites that I was not the only disabled person who senses an elephant in the room during an interview because employers do not ask about your disability. You shouldn’t have to feel the pressure to mention your disability in an interview, however I found that the ‘elephant in the room’ became such a distraction I had to mention it.

As I explained my disability however, I felt like I was using valuable interview time which should be used to explain what values I will bring to the role. I even became unsure about whether I was making the right decision to tick the ‘equal opportunity’ box on the application forms. Sometimes I wondered whether I was just ticking this box for “workplace statistics”.

I was in such a dilemma every time I applied for a job – my disability doesn’t define me. It shouldn’t be, and isn’t, relevant to how I would perform in the job so I surely don’t need to mention it. At the same time, my disability does need some consideration as the employer might be wondering if it will affect my performance at work and I need to be sure the job is suitable for me.

Fiona made a career change from teaching to travel

From teaching to travel

After realising I needed a change from teaching, I decided I wanted a job to help disabled people overcome obstacles in society. I was offered a job as a Disability Specialist at DisabledHolidays.com – the UK’s largest accessible holiday specialist.

As someone who loves to travel and believes that everyone is entitled to a good quality of life, I feel privileged to be able to work for this incredible company. Needless to say, it came without the interview obstacles I faced in teaching!

Our accessible travel experts take away any anxieties disabled people might have about going on holiday in the UK or abroad. We support customers at every stage of their holiday including booking, preparing to go, travelling, holidaying and coming home. Some of the support we offer includes guaranteed accessible accommodation, mobility equipment hire, airport assistance, adapted travel and much more.

It is important to remember that although overcoming barriers to employment is a difficult journey, employers who cannot see the unique assets you bring to the workplace do not deserve to have you.

More than a third of disabled people don’t think they will be hired because of their impairment or condition. And two in five disabled people don’t feel confident about their chances of getting a job in the next six months.

Marie is a college tutor from Milton Keynes. Although her current job is ideal, she’s experienced barriers and negative attitudes in the past, including the time she was told ‘not to bother’ working. She passionately believes that everyone should be given a chance and is supporting our Work With Me campaign to make that a reality.

I’ve got osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bones. It means my bones can break easily so I use wheelchair, I can’t stand or walk. The condition can make me very tired and there are nights when I can’t sleep at all so it would be difficult to do a typical 9 to 5 job.

My current employer is understanding of my needs and the job I have is so flexible. I’m able to work from home which suits me perfectly. If I can’t pick up work on a certain day, they’ll email it across or agree a different time for me to collect it. But it hasn’t always been so easy.

“We don’t have anything for people like you”

When I finished my degree in Health and Social Care in 2011 I didn’t have a lot of luck finding a job. I went to the Job Centre for support and their attitude was pretty much “Why do you want to work? We don’t have anything for people like you.” There was no help or aspiration.

Being told not to bother working it made me feel angry and upset. I’d spent so many years studying, I’d put everything into my degree, I’d worked in the past and I wanted to progress. It made me feel worthless, like I couldn’t contribute towards society like anyone else. It was frustrating.

I decided not to put that I was disabled on my CV because I felt like I wouldn’t get an interview. I often managed to get interviews but when I turned up I could tell by people’s reactions that I wasn’t going to get that job. I think it was largely because they didn’t understand my impairment and didn’t want to take the chance.

If you’re disabled, it can be difficult to progress in your career too. I’ve had many different jobs and at times I felt like I was being treated like a child because employers didn’t allow me to use my skills and knowledge. I ended up leaving one job. If people aren’t going to accept me for who I am and what I can do, why stay?

The things that people say to you never go away. There have been times where bad attitudes have made me feel like “What’s the point in working?” I just wanted to find an employer who would give me a chance, like anyone else would be given a chance.

Marie supports Scope and Virgin Media’s new employment campaign, Work With Me

Work With Me

Knowing that there’s a million disabled people out there who want to work but are being denied the opportunity, it makes me angry because everybody should be given an opportunity. We all want to contribute to society.

I think a lot of employers don’t want to hire a disabled person because they don’t understand disability and they just want the ‘perfect’ person. So, the way to change negative attitudes is for those of us who are disabled to prove them wrong. To show that we can do it, and it doesn’t matter if we use a wheelchair or we’re visually impaired – with the right support, it doesn’t affect your ability to work.

My advice to employers is just give someone a chance and think about what they can do, not what they can’t do. When I got my current job, the feedback was really positive. The interviewers said that I was confident, I clearly knew the subject and I had all the skills. Why can’t all employers be like this?

People shouldn’t be put into a box. Some people can’t work, but that’s not the reality for many disabled people. That’s why I’m supporting Work With Me. I think this campaign is going to open people’s eyes. Unless you see stories out there, people won’t know what’s possible.

Please join me and help change the future of employment for disabled people.

Right now there are over one million disabled people who can and want to work but are being shut out of the workplace.

We know that disabled people are more than twice as likely to be unemployed as non-disabled people.

And our new research, released today, demonstrates that many disabled people are being consistently overlooked in the jobs market.

When applying for jobs only half of applications from disabled applicants result in an interview, compared with 69% for non-disabled applicants.

On average, disabled people apply for 60% more jobs than non-disabled people

Our research found that more than a third (37%) of disabled people who don’t feel confident about getting a job believe employers won’t hire them because of their impairment or condition.

Doors shut. Barriers Up. No way forward.

This has resulted in disabled people being more than twice as likely to be unemployed as non-disabled people. And, it’s no surprise the disability employment gap has remained stubbornly stuck for a decade.

It’s time for this to change.

That’s why we’ve partnered with Virgin Media to launch a new campaign to raise awareness of these issues and to call on businesses and government to take action on disability employment urgently.

Work With Me aims to support disabled people to get into and stay in work and raise awareness that nobody should be overlooked because of their impairment or condition.

Two in five disabled people don’t feel confident they will get a job in the next six months

It’s time for action now

We’ve kicked off the campaign with a giant installation spelling out ‘Work With Me’ on London’s Southbank to make the issue clear.

We were joined by some of our amazing disabled Storytellers who’ve told us about the barriers that the face every day as they try to get the job that they want.

As a generally average British girl, my life is pretty damn awkward anyway so having a disability and using a wheelchair often makes it even more so. The hilarious thing is, it’s often not me that’s feeling awkward.

So many times throughout my life, I’ve been avoided, talked down to and just plain ignored because of my disability. I can make light of it now but it’s actually a really serious and sad issue.

At all kinds of places (bars, hotel, airports, restaurants) people just plain ignore me! It’s the worst! They will do anything from talk to the person with me, blankly stare at me as if I’m speaking a different language and other times just pretend that I’m not there! This is definitely the worst kind of awkward interaction and it can really effect your confidence as a wheelchair user.

It’s hard enough to keep the confident facade going as a young adult as it is, so when throwing a wheelchair into the mix, it gets harder.

Avoiding the awkward

I’m ashamed to say there have definitely been times where I’ve avoided situations or asked someone else to do something for me to avoid awkward interactions (such as reaching card machines in shops, signing room check-in keys when the counter is literally higher than your head).

I’ve realised, this is simply the worst thing I could do.

I’m the kind of person who likes to challenge myself daily, to the point of painful fear and regret. You’re talking to the girl who auditioned for The Apprentice with no business plan when she was 18! Sometimes I just love being uncomfortable. However, the kind of uncomfortable that avoidance brings is a kind of deja vu uncomfortable that on bad days you just don’t want to deal with.

The good, the bad and the awkward

Sometimes, when I’m out, people will just not talk to me. They will literally avoid talking to me to talk to anyone who is with me, whether it’s my mom, my husband or a friend. They will talk to them rather than me.

There have been times that I’ve been answering back and they’ve been sending their answers back to me via other people, like they are a spirit and I am using the person I am with as a vessel to communicate!

Now I know a lot of my disabled friends have experienced this and I think it’s one of the most common awkward and annoying moments that I experience.

But don’t get me wrong, using a wheelchair definitely also has it’s upsides!

Kelly and her group of friends at a music festival

As many of you know, I love festivals and I’ve been to most of them. I was recently at a music festival (I won’t say which as I don’t want anyone to get in trouble!) where myself and two others (both wheelchair users) literally just walked into the VIP area.

We weren’t asked if we had tickets or wristbands, we weren’t checked at all. So we spent most of the afternoon enjoying the hospitality that we hadn’t paid for. Thanks to the awkward security guard for not asking any questions!

As some of you may also know, I was an overly rebellious and not always well behaved teenager. At college myself and my friends were caught by the police doing something bad and teenager-like. The police proceeded to arrest all of my friends, except me, and took them to the station. At the time, this really annoyed me! Shouldn’t all police cars be able to transport electric wheelchairs? But now I look back on this and I guess it was a good thing as I got off scot-free!

A sunny selfie of Kelly and friends at a music festival

End the Awkward is returning and we want to change even more attitudes around disability.

Got a really awkward story? We’d love to hear about it! Has anyone ever tried to avoid you or acted totally awkwardly around you? Tell us your story today.

The blogs have been a huge success and have been read by tens of thousands of people. We’d like to say thanks to those of you who have read and shared them and, of course, a big thank you to the 30 disabled people who have shared these fantastic stories.

As part of 30 Under 30, she shares her experiences of the program, how it has given her the confidence to run her own campaigns and why it is important that everyone uses their vote in the EU referendum.

I’ve been interested in activism ever since my dad introduced me to grassroots politics as a kid. He took me to my first demo when I was twelve years old and I’ve been hooked ever since.

I love the way direct action works, how it unapologetically demands our voices be heard. Change will never come about whilst we are unwilling to engage in the system, despite how broken it may be. Direct action gives us the opportunity to challenge and offer an alternative.

Getting the tools I needed

I had never organised my own campaign until I joined Scope For Change. I applied to the program last year and I was over the moon when I found out I had been accepted. We are a group of twenty-two young disabled people all interested in activism.

In March we attended a ‘bootcamp’ where we had extensive training on how to run a successful campaign. We were taught a wide range of tactics from how to utilise social media to getting the support of politicians. This training not only gave me the tools I needed, but also the confidence!

Running my own campaign

Currently I am running a campaign to encourage people in my neighbourhood to vote in the EU referendum. Engaging people in politics is something that I am passionate about. Too many people bury their heads in the sand and become ever increasingly apathetic. I can understand why this happens, I too have little faith in our current political system.

However, I believe referendums give the electorate a rare chance to participate in a form of direct democracy and we should be excited about this opportunity!

Our community is one which doesn’t have much of a voice in society. We live in social housing and the vast majority of us can’t find work because we are disabled. We are often judged and not listened to.

The aim of my campaign has not been to tell people how to vote but to empower them to go out and exercise their democratic right. I wanted people to know that not only does their opinion matter, but that it is significant and can make a difference.

A unique opportunity to have a say in the future of our country

Over the last few weeks I have made hundreds of leaflets and posters explaining how to register to vote and why it is so important to do this. I have printed these in a large font and on coloured paper to make them as accessible as possible. Two of my lovely neighbours have been wonderful and helped me deliver these. I haveassisted people to sign up who would have otherwise struggled to do this independently. Door knocking has also played a big part as some people are unable to read English, this has sparked conversations and it’s been interesting to hear how people are voting and why.

Throughout my campaign I have emphasised that we will not be voting to elect someone to represent us, but are being asked a direct question. Should we remain in the EU or should we leave? This is a unique opportunity to have a say in the future of our country and we should embrace this.

On 23 June, I have arranged a meeting place for local people to gather at various times throughout the day. We will be walking to the polling station and voting together. I believe this will encourage people, especially those who are unsure where the polling station is or are unfamiliar with the process. I know some of my disabled neighbours will really struggle to do this independently and my hope is that voting collectively will provide the support they need.

I have always been an activist, but Scope have given me the confidence I needed to run my own campaigns and I can’t thank them enough for this gift. I plan to run many more in the future which I hope will be as successful as this one promises to be!

Kelly Perks-Bevington is an entrepreneur and business owner from the West Midlands who has spinal muscular atrophy type 3 and uses an electric wheelchair.

As part of our 30 Under 30 campaign, she talks about getting into the world of work, her latest business venture and her aims of creating the most accessible football club in the country.

I wasn’t very studious at college so I was absolutely desperate to get straight into work. After loads of rejections, I got a job at a doctors surgery as a receptionist. It kind of lit a spark and made me think “I’ve got a path now”.

From there, I got a passion for being in the world of work. I applied to join a concierge company and I actually went on as an admin assistant there and worked my way up through the ranks until I had my own list of football clients. This is where my lifestyle company, G5 Lifestyle, started.

Alongside my dad, I also run G5 Sports Consultancy LTD which we use as a vehicle for all of our crazy schemes. We have used it to consult into different football clubs on their practices and football business.

On the side of all this, I also run kellyperksbevington.com which is a portal for me to write blogs about things I’m passionate about. I really enjoy doing that and have had a lot of interest from big companies and media outlets recently, which is really exciting!

Buying a football club

My dad and I established the G5 business and then we went and bought Kidderminster Harriers Football Club.

It all kind of fell into place really nicely. My dad was in talks with the club for a while and the closer we got to it, the more we saw it as a viable business. My dad has been in the industry for 30 years and I’ve been in it for 10 so we’ve both got a pool of contacts that could be useful to the club.

We just wanted to get everything going in the right direction and make the club function more as a business. We also want to create ways to make money off the pitch as well as on the pitch to keep the club afloat. We’re trying a couple of different things like diversity projects, education projects, development on the ground and making the club more energy efficient.

The club is over 100 years old and we’re going to take it into a new era and get it functioning like a modern day football club should.

The fans have been really grateful as we put a significant amount of money in to secure the future of the club. We’ve had a lot of positive reactions which can’t always be expected as we’re making so many changes to something that people are used to. The response has been great from all the fans.

We’re starting a women’s football team, we had a diversity day with the Panjab FA and Jersey FA, and we’re planning to set up a whole events programme for next year and get the whole community involved!

Making the club accessible

I’m a disabled person and the ground is not the best for me on a day-to-day basis. Upstairs we have our hospitality suite and our VIP boxes. I can’t gain access to any of that. Our boardroom where we have all of our board meetings is upstairs. Basically, all the good stuff is upstairs! There are also steps in the corridors of the offices at the club.

We’re putting ramps in where needed so we can take on more disabled staff and apprentices, other than myself and we’re going to put a lift in to the upper levels. Disabled fans will be able to enjoy the VIP areas as they should. They will be able to get access to all of the match day hospitality, as well as booking their private and corporate events upstairs with full accessibility.

We will also be adjusting our toilet facilities to make them better for every disabled person not just certain disabled people. The disabled seating will also be changed. At the moment, it’s on the front row, so I want to move it around so people aren’t just in the firing line of the ball during matches. I’ve nearly been hit in the face many times watching a match!

I think it’s so important to make these changes. I need to practice what I preach. I get really annoyed when I go places and I want to have the VIP treatment but I can’t. I just need disabled people to have the exact same choices and experiences as everyone else. I want to make sure they can come to the club and enjoy the football without having to make special arrangements. I want it to be smooth sailing for everyone.

I think that football clubs need to think about disabled people. If we take away all the barriers so people can just enjoy things without having to worry, people are more likely to come and enjoy things and put their money into your pocket.